Improvement in the manufacture of peat-fuel



that@ tetta RQBERT ARTHURGRIFFIN, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

Letters Patent No. 113,423, dated April 4, 1871.

N IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FEAT-FUEL.

The Schedule referred to in theseLetters Patent and making part of the same.

^ To all whom 'it may concern:

Be itV known that I, Bonner ARTHUR GRIFFIN,-

of the city of Montreal, in the district of Montreal,

workmis advanced.

EigureIIL'an elevation of cnrers and their foundation, -with excavator in firstlcnt. i

Figure 1V, a detail ot'curers.` 'higure V, a detail of cnrers. Y FigureVI, a side'elevation of excavator. -f l `iguieV1I-,`an elevation of elevator", FigurevVlII, a `plan of elevator, &c.

'lliisinvention has reference to improvements on` the art of manufacturing peat-fuel and on the apparatus used therefor, whereby peat -fuel is produced in less time and with less labor, and of superior quality, than by the processes', at present in use;

In the drawing herenntoannexed similar letters' of reference 'indicate like parts. 'A Letter a is the solid earth. p Y

. l is the peat-bog; the-'supposed line of junctnreis indicated by the crooked chain .line liu the` drawing.

' In the commencement;ofoperations,and'having selected-a suitable situation, where thc dep/tiret the bog is sutiicient for the purpose ot' making the front cnt and at the same time nearly approaching the solid earth, a line of piles, c, is driven at required `distances apart, more or less, as found desirable.

To the top 0i' these piles are attached, by dovetails or otherwise, the ends of'timbers cl, extending over the top of the bog and onto the solid earth. These l timbers are laid with a slight incline, being lowest at the'land-end, and are of considerable length.

On the top ot' .these timbers c1 a second course of timber, c2, laid crosswise with them, each of the tim-'Q hers c2 heilig a suitable and equal distance apart, and it' required pinned down to the lower timbers with tree-nails, or otherwise secured. rlhis is covered with square scantling d, of suitable size, laid in the same direction as the lower timbers, having a suitable space, d', between each scantling.

t rlhe extent ofthe platform thus formed will be commensurate with` the scale of operations to be carried on, and forms the,bottom of the curing-vessels, constructed as shown in detail in Figs. IV and V, by attaching scantling c to a. beam, el, of suitabledimensions, in such a manner 'as `to give them an incline, as indicated.

These scautlin gs also havie suitable spaces e3, between each, a plank, f, or other suitable supports beingplacedV between the two. Each separator, f1, thus constructed, forms the side of two contiguous curing-vessels, f2, shown in Figs. I and 1I. They are secured on the platform cl in any desired manner, running in the direction of the timbers cl, and extending from a little back of` the line ot' piles cto the end of the platform.

d. VThe frontandbaek en ds of the curers j'l are formed of a simple vertieairow of scantling, g, and similar' to the. separator, and secured`- to them in any proper manner.

On thc top` of the beam `eland scantlmg e a wale piece, gl, is placed, extending lthe whole length of 'I veach separator f, aud'atY the back 'end extended, as will beliereiuafter described.

On the top oi' this wale piece, and iinsh with its edges, two strips of iron are attached, forming rails g2, for the wheels of a-dump-wago'n, g3, to run upon.

This dump-wagon is of the'pform shown in the drawing, and made to turn completely over on the pivots r/, a hole having been cnt of sufficient depth and size, so that when it is .filled with water by drainage from -the bog the excavator h will lioat in it; and longitudinally alongside of the piles o it begins the first cut,

and extends it along infront of the piles as close as can be.

tothe dredging-machines at present employed,only .that instead of being supplied with one row ot' narrow buckets it is made with any desired number'ot' rows of buckets hl, having together a greater width than that of the vessel he, on which they are placed,

for the purpose of giving it free floating room, the upper roller hdbeingdriven by a steam-power provided on board the vessel h2; the lower roller h* is carried and maintained at the required distance to keep the chains h5 tant by hangers It provided with any desired means of lengthening them, to compensate for the lengthening ofthe chains by wear. y

'lhese-hangers areplaced at the openings or spaces i, between the rows of buckets, and passing through them on the aft side. A segment, il, is attached, in- Vtermeshin g with the teeth ol' a pinion, or any suitablyarranged power, to lower or raise the lower roller by .swinging it from the center of the roller lr, as indicated by'the line x, causing it to cut at a greater nr lesser depth, as required; and also providing a means of altogether raisinr it from the bog for repairs, or when desired.

The buckets h1 discharge their contents into a spout,

i2, situated as indicated in the drawing, and providedwith a screw, i3, extending its entire length, and roiated bythe machinery to assist the discharge of the `semi-duid peat therefrom.

Between the power and the machinery a friction is interposed, so that in case the buckets h1, coming in contact with anyobstacle, 'the dangery of damage to the machinery may be obviated.

In combination with the above curers and scow, the peat is further prepared in'mills, 7e, of a similar character to those used in forming buildingebricks; and inA Athese the peat is still further compressed and formed into rectangular shapes of any desired dimensions,

after which it is stored in any convenient shed for further drying and market.

Having now described the construction of my peatmanufacturing apparatus, I will new proceed tov describe more particularly the mod/us operandi of making the, peat-fuel, which is as follows:

In the commencement of operations, and after the` platform and separators have been constructed, and situated as above described, and the first cut coinme'need, the peat cnt from the bog and discharged by the screw Stalls directly into the cnrers]c2 as the excavator h1 passes in front of each.

. Alter the first cut has'been 'made of the desired length, the excavator is brought back to thej com- The incline ofthe vessel m is such that hyopening the end its contents will slide out'into the vessel n, on which an elevator, n', is placed, raising it and delivering it into an inclined spout, o, down which it slides into the curers. l

The curei's formed as hereinbefore described, allow ofthe freeseparation or drainage of the water from the peat by the openings d and e. In their bottoms and sides the drainage o f the water is further assisted `by makingv the vsides f of considerable height, and tillrIhe upper portion has au -The beams el, wale pieces g1, and rails g2, may, if

desired, be extended at the land end on trestleework, so that vwhen the peat is dug out of the cnrers and placed in the wagon it may be run close up to the line of the mills It, and dump its contents close beside them, or at any intervening point. The peat is now placed in the mills 7a and further pressed-into the form before described.

Having now described the-construction and operation of my invention, to which I have given the name of. Gridins International Peat-Fuel Machinery,

' IVhat I .claim as my invention, and wish secured by Letters Patent, is fthe new and useful improvements on the art of manufacturing peat-fuel and on the appara-tus used therefor, as follows:

1./ The excavator h, in its parts of' vessel h2, rollers h and h, chains h5, hangers h, buckets h, segments i, spout i2, screw i, all working together, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. rIhe curers f1, in their parts of timbers cl and c,

scantling el and e,.with openings d and e, beams el, wale pieces gl," rails gi, planks j, all working together, substantially 1n the manner and for the purpose described.

3. The curves f, with openings or spaces d' and e3 in the scautling d and e, working together and with other parts of the cnrers, substantiallv in the manner and for the purpose described.

Montreal, 25th day of November, A. D. 1870.

ROBERT ARTHUR GRIFFIN. Witnesses CHARLES LEGGE,

GHAnLns G. O. SIMPSON. 

